As We Walk In Fields Of Gold

Now and then people ask us to do things.

"Can you help me move?"

"Can I borrow a tenner?"

"Can you babysit for me?"

Now most of the time I say yes.

I'm a naturally helpful person and I struggle to say No.

Work/family/ friends. Doesn't matter how much I don't want to do the thing I normally end up saying Yes.

During lock down I really struggled. I was staying in 24/7 as we were told to do. I was just vegging in front of the TV / PC /Xbox.

life became the same for me. Get out of bed, sit in the front room or in front of the PC. do stuff for 16 - 20 hours, then go to bed.

Luckily my sister kept me sane. My sister has a young son and he cant be bottled up inside like most other kids his age. He needs to be outside, he needs to be active. He needs to run like the flash, climb trees like a gorilla and throw rocks like Donkey Kong throws barrels. I know I used gorillas twice there I'm sorry.

My sister would ring or text.

"were going to this place want to come?" my sister would say.

"........yeah go on then" I would reply.

she would come pick me up and she would take me and her son to a local park, outdoor space or general countryside area.

One time she took us to a very unknown fishery in a very small village close to the town we lived in.

Gear

sometimes I would get a lot of notice, sometimes very little. this time I had decent lead time so I decided on

• 2 bodied standard K1 and Infrared K-01

• 3 Lenses Pentax 15-30mm, F2,8, Pentax 50mm F1.4 & Tamron 70-300mm

It was a bit of a walk from the car to the water side, I'm glad I didn't have Too much gear.

The walk around the water was nice. A few fish popping up taking bread from the surface, dragonflies whizzing about, ducks swimming around hoping for food.

Pentax K-1, Tamron 70-300

1/2000th, F8, ISO 400

Walking around felt good. Being in the open air was nice, the chance to photograph some wildlife was pretty cool too.

We walked for a bit while my nephew ran around doing kid stuff at a million miles an hour as kids do.

I don't ever remember being that fast when I was a kid

Once we finished we headed back towards the car. Nephew as always didn't want to leave. While waiting for him to finish his super important task. I decided to look in a direction I hadn't looked on the way toward the water.

Pentax k-01, Pentax 50mm F1.4 1/160th, F8, ISO 100

Nice little image. Didn't think much too it. Sky looks okay, nothing amazing.

composition wise its nice, pretty level horizon, half sky half land, telephone pole in the middle of the image,

I Didn't think much of the image at the time. one of those, ill shoot it but don't really have an exact idea what id use it for sort of things. No competition on the horizon it will fall neatly into, no brief coming up I can use it for.

Boy was I wrong.

The image sat on the SD card for a bit. Then it sat on the computer Hard drive for a few weeks which turned into a few months. One rainy day with nothing else to do. Back peddling through folders. looking for stuff to edit or re-edit.

I bust out the image.

A few click in photo shop, Standard channel swap, sharpen and a few tweaks.

beautiful blue sky, lovely cloud formations, golden crops.

I never knew IR could look like this.

if someone had told me these images were a before and after I'd of guessed that hours and hours of photoshop would of had to go into it, but it didn't.

this was 5 minutes in photoshop, maximum.

This was a wake up call from me that IR images could be beautiful.

I didn't enter it into anything straight away. It didn't fit the brief on anything or I felt I had stronger images.

The local club I belong too does a host of competitions each year. Nature, Monochrome, projected, print, Panel of prints, Open subject and 3 merit competitions (each year the 3 merits change E.G Holes, Illusion, Mood) These competitions are great fun. Our club has 2 tiers. Novice and Intermediate. I am in the novice as my name isn't on a trophy and I don't have a photography distinction.

The Open competition was coming up and I needed 3 entries. The open competition is a bit of a strange one as its everyone together, this one doesn't have the tiers. I don't have high hopes for this competition as my image is also together with the intermediates who all heave years of shooting under their belt.

I've got two out of my three images planned. I've got a beautiful stag photo in black and white. An older guy sat on a scooter from a local bike-fest event & An open slot for another image. I remembered the Infrared image.

Normally infrared images don't do well in photography competitions. The are strange and judges don't tend to warm to them. I decided to put it in anyway. However I put it late in the batting order. Stag 1st, biker 2nd, IR 3rd.

come competition day I went along and sat in the hall. The judge looked at all the images as part of a slide show once. each photo is on the screen for 3 seconds. some really strong images are show. My hope dies a little.

My biker image isn't well received. Reflection from the wing mirrors and distracting lens flare. not looking good. The judge holds a few images back, some he drops. Critiquing all images fairly.........my stag and IR image are held back, am a little shocked.

The judges job is to hand out places for the images. places range from 1st to 3rd, then highly commended then commended. with a larger pool they may hand out more or less commended and highly commended places.

My stag is a strong image in my opinion. only 10 or so images left. I've got this far, I will be happy with 2 commended comments......... commended for the stag. a little smile crosses my face. We did ok little stag........no commended for Infrared image tho........oh wow, if it doesnt get commended it must be getting highly commended.

........the judge hands out the highly commended........IR images doesnt get highly commended. Shock....I must be getting 3rd. I'll be well chuffed with commended and a 3rd.....it doesn't get 3rd tho..............WOW ill be over the moon a 2nd and commended......2 images left.

Its between my image and an Apache gun ship in front of a wall of flames. No way my image is beating that. the judge bounces between these images......there is no way hes still thinking is he?

HE IS!!! hes actually torn between my image and this image of an apache. my hearts going. Am I actually in with a shot at 1st place?

The judge points his laser pointer at the apache gun ship.

"2nd place"

IM SHOCKED.

I know who the apache gunship belong to. I don't think many if anyone knows the winning image is mine.

The judge talks about the apache image. I'm still trying to process the fact I've won.

"whos is the winning image" someone in the crowd asks.

because we at the club are so close if you see an image you can normally tell who submitted it. If its a plane, a jet or a train its most likely the chairman, tho he does dabble in other stuff. If its an African elephant or a cheetah its our competition secretary. If its astro it is most likely from one of our newest members.

This image is so far out my wheel house that no one could guess it was me.

They announce its me and everyone is a little suspired. I talk about the image, where I took it, how i processed it. The judge says he really likes it and I take the congratulations and comments from everyone.

Now, a different judge or a different day that image may have lost.

It just goes to show you never know what will do well in a photography competition.